Amelia Bloomer
Women's Rights Activist
Born on May 27, 1818 and died on December 30, 1894
Years of Importance: 1830-1850s
Amelia Bloomer was born in Homer, New York in 1818. She taught school and was thought of as highly intelligent by her peers, despite that she was only formally educated for two years. When Amelia was twenty-two years old, she married Dexter Bloomer and with his encouragement began writing about the support of women's rights in his paper, "The Seneca Falls Courier" and later the "Western Home Visitor." Her interests in Women's rights led her to join several temperance groups and women's rights organizations in the Seneca Falls area. She even attended the Seneca Falls Convention.
The Seneca Falls Convention was held in Seneca Falls, New York from July 19-20 in 1848. It was organized by a local group of New York women, among them Amelia Bloomer, and included a lecture on law, and multiple discussions about the role of women in society. The Convention also touched upon two very important documents including the Declaration of Sentiments along with a list of solutions. The Declaration of Sentiments, signed by exactly 100 out the estimated 300 attendees at the convention, stated and argued as a spinoff of the Declaration of Independence, that all Men AND WOMEN were created equal. The Seneca Falls Convention was ultimately the moment that a push for women's suffrage gained a national distinction and began to bulge.
In January, 1849, Amelia Bloomer published the first edition of her own newspaper, "The Lily." It was devoted entirely to women's issues including that of suffrage, temperance, education, and fashion. (She even influenced the clothing of women with her take of the full length pants gathering at the ankles. The pants came to be known as "bloomers" because of Amelia’s support.) Throughout her life, including the years of moving around the country with her husband, she continued to write and publish The Lily which spread her views and striving goals for women's rights. Her dedication to women's rights lasted until she died in 1894.
The actions that Amelia and other women's rights leaders had were motivated by the goals of improving the legal and traditional rights of women, including voting. They also called attention to women's limited economical and educational opportunities, such as schooling for women and owning property. Differences in genders during the 19th century were strongly emphasized because the market economy was separating women and men into distinct roles. The women were to be thought of as working in the home and taking care of the children, this was the force behind the "cult of domesticity." Some women began thinking of the home as a cage they were trapped in and wanted a way out. Women wanted their own rights, contradicting to the traditional way of the former life, and knew that they had to fight in order to gain it. Also by these actions, the women hoped to catch the government’s attention and gain their support in this cause. With the support of the federal government, they thought that their rights could become legalized and show the importance of women within the society, which was the basis of women's rights. Amelia Bloomer, along with other women's rights leaders, made many substantial contributions to the women's movement and spoke on many issues that has influenced and impacted our world today. In fact, withouth these women, a success might never had been made. Congress might never have passed the nineteenth amendment in 1920 that gave women the right to vote.
References
Elizabeth Cady Scanton: Supported Amelia to write her public newspaper, The Lily. Elizabeth also attended the Seneca Falls Convention and strived to achieve the goals listed in the Declaration of Sentiments by organizing and campaigning. She was one of the most influential leaders at the Seneca Falls Convention.
Susan B. Anthony: She also supported Amelia to write and publish her newspaper, The Lily. Susan was the leader of the American women suffrage movement for over 50 years, even going as far as getting arrested for voting. Her dedication was strongly responsible to the passing of the nineteenth amendment, giving women the right to vote.
Women's Rights Activist
Born on May 27, 1818 and died on December 30, 1894
Years of Importance: 1830-1850s
Amelia Bloomer was born in Homer, New York in 1818. She taught school and was thought of as highly intelligent by her peers, despite that she was only formally educated for two years. When Amelia was twenty-two years old, she married Dexter Bloomer and with his encouragement began writing about the support of women's rights in his paper, "The Seneca Falls Courier" and later the "Western Home Visitor." Her interests in Women's rights led her to join several temperance groups and women's rights organizations in the Seneca Falls area. She even attended the Seneca Falls Convention.
The Seneca Falls Convention was held in Seneca Falls, New York from July 19-20 in 1848. It was organized by a local group of New York women, among them Amelia Bloomer, and included a lecture on law, and multiple discussions about the role of women in society. The Convention also touched upon two very important documents including the Declaration of Sentiments along with a list of solutions. The Declaration of Sentiments, signed by exactly 100 out the estimated 300 attendees at the convention, stated and argued as a spinoff of the Declaration of Independence, that all Men AND WOMEN were created equal. The Seneca Falls Convention was ultimately the moment that a push for women's suffrage gained a national distinction and began to bulge.
In January, 1849, Amelia Bloomer published the first edition of her own newspaper, "The Lily." It was devoted entirely to women's issues including that of suffrage, temperance, education, and fashion. (She even influenced the clothing of women with her take of the full length pants gathering at the ankles. The pants came to be known as "bloomers" because of Amelia’s support.) Throughout her life, including the years of moving around the country with her husband, she continued to write and publish The Lily which spread her views and striving goals for women's rights. Her dedication to women's rights lasted until she died in 1894.
The actions that Amelia and other women's rights leaders had were motivated by the goals of improving the legal and traditional rights of women, including voting. They also called attention to women's limited economical and educational opportunities, such as schooling for women and owning property. Differences in genders during the 19th century were strongly emphasized because the market economy was separating women and men into distinct roles. The women were to be thought of as working in the home and taking care of the children, this was the force behind the "cult of domesticity." Some women began thinking of the home as a cage they were trapped in and wanted a way out. Women wanted their own rights, contradicting to the traditional way of the former life, and knew that they had to fight in order to gain it. Also by these actions, the women hoped to catch the government’s attention and gain their support in this cause. With the support of the federal government, they thought that their rights could become legalized and show the importance of women within the society, which was the basis of women's rights. Amelia Bloomer, along with other women's rights leaders, made many substantial contributions to the women's movement and spoke on many issues that has influenced and impacted our world today. In fact, withouth these women, a success might never had been made. Congress might never have passed the nineteenth amendment in 1920 that gave women the right to vote.
References
Elizabeth Cady Scanton: Supported Amelia to write her public newspaper, The Lily. Elizabeth also attended the Seneca Falls Convention and strived to achieve the goals listed in the Declaration of Sentiments by organizing and campaigning. She was one of the most influential leaders at the Seneca Falls Convention.
Susan B. Anthony: She also supported Amelia to write and publish her newspaper, The Lily. Susan was the leader of the American women suffrage movement for over 50 years, even going as far as getting arrested for voting. Her dedication was strongly responsible to the passing of the nineteenth amendment, giving women the right to vote.
Works Cited
"Amelia Bloomer." Domesticating the Frontier. N.p., 11 May 2001. Web. 4 Oct. 2011. <http://www2.kenyon.edu/khistory/frontier/ameliabloomer.htm>
"The Susan B. Anthony Center for Women's Leadership :: Suffrage Biographies." University of Rochester. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Oct. 2011. <http://www.rochester.edu/SBA/suffragebios.html>